Ed Woodward pledged that Manchester United will be back at the Bird's Nest after their friendly with Manchester City was called off hours before kick-off.

Heavy rain had brought concerns about the pitch, with both managers expressing their worries about the state of the playing surface in Beijing.

But the game looked set to go ahead - before being cancelled less than five hours before it was due to start.

United will leave China as planned on Monday evening before flying out to Gothenburg later in the week for a game with Galatasaray, their penultimate pre-season friendly with Wayne Rooney's testimonial coming on August 3.

United's preparations have hit numerous problems in the last few days, with a disrupted flight and makeshift press conference leaving Jose Mourinho unimpressed.

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Despite that, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward gave some hope for disappointed locals who were looking forward to see the game.

In a joint statement with City, he said: "It's extremely disappointing not to be able to play the game in this amazing stadium but the recent torrential rain would have caused problems anywhere in the world and has left the pitch unplayable.

"We know our fans in China will, like the players and staff, be saddened by the cancellation of the match but I am sure they appreciate that the player safety has to be the top priority.

"I am sure we will return to the Bird's Nest in the future to give them the chance to see the team in action."

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